Information and Facts

Kaunas: Reviews

SaňAura: 69Reviews: 124Aug 31, 2011 10:25:14 AMKaunas is an important cultural and industrial centre of Lithuania . It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Neris and Nemunas. The population counts about 360 000 inhabitants.

About the city

Kaunas is a large modern city. Its main characteristic is that 90% of the inhabitants are ethnical Lithuanians. The city is considered the heart of Lithuanian business. According to many travellers, Kaunas is nicer and richer than the capital Vilnius .

Places of interest

Among the most interesting monuments in Kaunas are e.g. the tixik_Kaunas Castle from the turn of the 13th and 14th century, the Kaunas Basilica of St Peter and Paul from the 15th century, the St George’s Church, the Jesuit church, the Pažaislis Monastery , the town hall from the 16th century, the palace of Massalski and Godlewski, the St Gertrude’s Church, the synagogue from 1871, the mosque (rebuilt in 1934) , the House of Perkūnas from the end of the 15th century and the Church of St Michael the Archangel from 1893. The most picturesque square is the so-called Town Hall Square. Kaunas offers many more various places of interest, such as the Kaunas Botanical Garden , the Kaunas ZOO , the fortress IX Kauno fortas or two cableways that will take you up the hill to enjoy magnificent viewpoints. The cableway Žaliakalnis is the oldest cableway in Lithuania and one of the oldest cableways in Europe. Another touristic highlight is the local dam (the biggest dam in the country) . In summer, many tourists, as well as locals, visit the renowned beaches on the banks of the dam or the Nemunas River.

Museums

There are many interesting museums in the city, among which predominate the War Museum of Vytautas the Great , the M K Čiurlionis National Art Museum, the Devil Museum, featuring a unique collection of devils from all over the world, and the Chocolate Museum. The Kaunas Photo Gallery is also a popular place to visit.

A little bit of history

The city was founded around 1030 but the first written record comes from much later- year 1361. In 1362, the city was damaged by a fire. In 1408, Kaunas gained town privileges. It was repeatedly damaged and rebuilt after that. During the First World War, Kaunas was occupied by the Germans. During 1919 – 1939, it was the capital of Lithuania . From 1941, it was annexed to the Soviet Union. Kaunas again became part of Lithuania after the Soviet Union was disintegrated.

Tourist services

Kaunas offers a wide choice of accommodation. A list of accommodation facilities can be found t=detail_ubyt&najit=Najít&place=Kaunas&placeid=2272900 HERE . There is also a campsite in the city. Shopping lovers will definitely not be disappointed as the city offers a great amount of shops with designer goods as well as gigantic shopping centres such as Mega, Akropolis, Urmas, Molas, Savas and Hyper Maxima. A matter of course is a lot of quality restaurants and pubs where you will get great food and drink. The most popular of them are, for example, the Pas Stanley Restaurant, which is sought especially by families with kids, the luxurious Senieji rūsiai Restaurant, Sadute Restaurnat, Master grill Restaurant offering delicious steaks, the Miesto sodas Restaurant and the pizzeria Jazz with great draught beer. Obviously, there are also fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s, KFC or Pizza Hut.

Entertainment

Many different events and festivals regularly take place in Kaunas. The most popular and famous of them are the Pažaislis Music Festival, the jazz festival, the International Festival of Modern Dance, the Days of the Kaunas City, the Kaziukas Fair and the Kaunas International Film Festival. You can also visit one of the many local theatres or cinemas or the local Philharmonic. In the evening, you may try out clubs Siena or Exit, which is one of the best night clubs in Lithuania or club Extaze.

Transport

Kaunas is accessible by car, bus, train or airplane. About 3 km from the city, there is the international airport Kaunas, which is one of the biggest airports in the Baltic region. By car, it is best to take the motorway A1 (E85) . By train or bus, you will get to the city from all bigger cities in the country. There are also regular bus lines to Kaunas from e.g. Riga , Tallinn , Minsk , Warsaw and Sankt Petersburg . Within the city, you can use city transport provided by a network of bus and trolleybus lines. If you plan to spend more than one day in the city, it is advisable to buy a tourist card that provides cheaper city transport as well as reduced entrance fees to museums, even by 50%.